Rotary brush



Oct. 25, 1955 H. l.. BLYDENBURGH ROTARY BRUSH Filed Oct. 6, 1951 United States Patent' ROTARY BRUSH Harold L. Blytlenburgh, Detroit, Mich., assignor to The Moto-Mower Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 6, 1951, Serial No. 250,086 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-183) This invention relates to brushes and, in particular, to rotary brushes. i

One object of this invention is to provide a rotary brush of easily manufactured parts which can be inexpensively made and assembled, yet which will, in assembly, be strong and rigid.

Another object is to provide a rotary brush having a brush carrier which is adapted to receive brush units and clamp them in position, the brush units being removable from the brush carrier so asto permit renewal and replacement of worn brushes. i

Another object isY to provide a rotary brush which is quickly and easily assembled in a power sweeper or other brush-utilizing machine and which has a brush carrier with a tubular hub through which a shaft may easily be pushed and inserted in a bearing bore on the opposite side of the machine without loss of time in lining up the parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a rotary brush according to one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a central vertical section taken along the line 2--2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a brush-holder-receiving notch and lug employed in the rotary brush of Figures 1 and 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the brush holder which is adapted to be employed with the construction shown in Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing in detail, Figures 1 and 2 show a rotary brush, generally designated 10, consisting generally of a brush carrier, generally designated 11, in which are inserted and clamped replaceable brush units 12. Each brush unit 12 consists of an elongated bar-like back 13 having a wide base portion 14 and a comparatively narrow neck portion 15, the back 13 having bristles 16 inserted and secured therein in an elongated row or series of rows.

The brush carrier 11 consists of an elongated tubular hub 20 having a central bore 21 for receiving a shaft (not shown) upon which the rotary brush is supported and driven. A driving connection is established with the shaft by one or more set screws 22 threaded through aligned threaded holes 23, 24 in a collar 25, and the end of the tubular hub respectively, the collar 25 being welded or otherwise suitably secured to the hub 20, as at 26. As shown in Figure 2, the tubular hub 20 is provided with a collar 25 and set screw 22 at each end but more or fewer set screws may be employed, as desired.

Also mounted upon the tubular hub 20 near the opposite ends thereof, but spaced inwardly from the ends of the hub 20, are discs or spiders 27 having central holes 28 for the passage of the tubular hub 20, to which the discs 27 are secured as at 29 by welding or other suitable means. Each disc 27 is provided with a number of circumferentially-spaced peripheral notches 30 (Figure 3) ICC formed by cutting or stamping and bending a lug or tab 31 out of the rim portion 32, leaving the side walls 33 of the notch 30 spaced apart from one another and with the lug or tab 31 disposed substantially at right angles to the plane of the disc 27. A hole 34 for a bolt or other fastener is provided in each lug 31 and the lugs 31 of the two discs or spiders 27 face outwardly in opposite directions toward the ends of the brush carrier 11.

Mounted upon the tabs or lugs 31 and held in the notches 30 are approximately channel-shaped brush holders, generally designated 35 (Figure 4), each brush holder consisting of a pair of elongated channel half members 36 facing toward one another. Each channel half member 36 has a high ange 37 along one edge of each web 38 and a low flange 39 along the other edge of the web 38. The channel half members 36 are assembled with the opposite edges 40 of their high flanges 37 placed edge to edge so that a space separates the opposite edges 41 of the low flanges 39 through which the neck portion 15 the brush unit 12 may project. A fastener hole 42 is placed in the bottom formed by the brush holder 35 which is, according to the foregoing construction, approximately C-shaped in cross-section. The fastener holes 42 are placed at such distances apart as to align themselves with the fastener holes 34 in the lugs or tabs 31 of the discs 27, thereby enabling the assembly and mounting of the brush holders 35 in the notches 30 of the discs 27. The side walls 33 of the notches 30 are of such separations as to snugly receive the brush holders 35 and prevent them from separating. The channel members 36 of the brush holders 35 are provided with fastener holes 43 for receiving transverse fasteners, such as screws 44 (Figure 1) disposed at intervals lengthwise along the brush holders 35.

In assembling the brush carrier 11, the discs 27 are mounted at their desired separations on the tubular hub 20 and welded in position, after which the collars 25 are likewise welded in position outwardly of the discs or spiders 27. The brush holders 35 are then inserted in the notches 30 of the two discs 27, which are aligned with one another so that the brush holders 35 lie parallel to the axis of the hub bore 21. Bolts 45 are inserted through the holes 42 and 34 (Figures 1 and 2) with their heads 46 lodged in the space between the webs 38. Square-headed bolts are preferably used, and of widths substantially equal to the space between the inner walls of the web 38, so that the bolt 45 is prevented from rotating by this means. A nut 47 is then threaded upon the shank of each bolt 45 to secure the brush holders 35 in assembly with the discs or spiders 27.

The fastener holes 43 are so positioned above the bottom of the brush holder 35 that the fasteners 44 will pass immediately above the heads 46 of the bolts 45 and immediately beneath the backs 13 of the brush units 12, with the neck portions 15 projecting through the gap between the channel flange edges 41. The dimensions of the brush holder 35 are so chosen that the enlarged portion 14 of each brush back 13 ts snugly into the space above each transverse fastener 44 (Figure 1) without permitting the brush unit 12 to wobble or shift. The brush units 12 are inserted lengthwise within the brush holders 35 and clamped in position by the fasteners 44, which pull the channel half members 36 and their llange edges 41 toward one another into tight clamping engage ment with the neck portion 15 of the brush back 13.

In assembling the brush 10 in the machine in which it is to be used, the brush carrier 11 is lined up so that the axis of the bore 21 corresponds approximately with the axis of the aligned bearing bores which are to support the shaft on which it is to be mounted and the shaft is then pushed through one bearing bore and through the hub bore 21 into the opposite bearing bore, after which the set screws 22 are tightened to establish a driving connection. If desired, the shaft can be provided with the usual flat spots or recesses for receiving the ends of the set screws 22 in order to make a more perfect driving connection. The drive sprockets, gears, pulleys or other driving mechanism may then be connected to the projecting ends of the shaft.

In operation, the rotation of the shaft and the consequent rotation of the tubular hub rotates the brush carrier 11 and causes the bristles 16 of the brush unit 12 to perform their brushing or sweeping functions by moving them through a cylindrical path. When the bristles 16 become Worn, the brush units 12 may be removed by loosening the transverse fasteners 44, causing the edges 41 of the low flanges 39 of the brush holders 35 to disengage themselves from the neck portions 15 of the brush backs 14. The worn brush units 12 can then be slid out of the brush holders 35 and new brushes inserted in the manner previously described, and clamped in position by tightening the fasteners 44.

The brush unit 12 and brush holder 35 may also be inserted or removed bodily as a unit from the brush carrier 11. They may be removed merely by removing the nuts 47 from the square-headed bolts 45 and then lifting this assembly out of the slots 33 in the discs 27. A replacement assembly containing a new brush unit 12 in a brush holder 35 with its fasteners 44 and bolts 45 may then be inserted in place of the worn assembly by passing the Shanks of the bolts 45 through the holes 34 (Figures 2 and 3) while guiding the assembly into the slots 33 in the discs 27, after which the nuts 47 are replaced upon the bolts 45. The positions of the fasteners 44 immediately above the heads 46 of the bolts 45 prevent the bolts 45 from being pushed upward While the operator is inserting the brush holder into the slots 33 of the disc 27, and the square shape of the heads 46 prevents the bolts from being rotated While tightening or removing the nuts 47.

What I claim is:

In a rotary brush, a carrier comprising an elongated hub having a pair of axially-spaced discs secured thereto, each disc having a plurality of circumferentially-spaced notches extending radially inwardly from the periphery thereof, the struck-out portions forming said notches being bent normal to the discs to form lugs, the corresponding notches in the spaced discs being disposed in alignment axially of the carrier, a channel-shaped brush holder disposed in each set of aligned notches and secured to said lugs by means of radially disposed fasteners, a brush having an elongated back disposed in each brush holder with the bristles thereof projecting radially outwardly, said brush holders being provided with inturned anges along the edges of their channels, and fasteners disposed in said brush holders radially inwardly of said backs whereby said fasteners support said backs and when tightened draw said anges into gripping engagement with said backs.

References Cited in the le of this patent vUNITED STATES PATENTS 1,011,831 Murray Dec. 12, 1911 1,314,967 McKee' Sept. 2, 1919 1,915,817 Dahlberg June 27, 1933 2,398,241 Miller et al. Apr. 9, 1946 2,450,679 May Oct. 5, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 306,835 Great Britain May 8, 1930 

